Millions of people in the world today wear eyeglasses for such things as correcting vision deficiencies, reducing the intensity of light, and eye protection. According to the Vision Council of America, approximately sixty-four percent (64%) of adults wear glasses for vision correction, while about eighty-five percent (85%) of the American population wear sunglasses. Most eyewear users frequently need to remove their eyewear while keeping it close at hand so as to be readily available when needed. Eyeglass cases are commonly available for safe storage, as are eyeglass chains and cords which hold the eyeglasses around the persons neck when not in-use. However these methods may be frumpy, difficult to employ, vulnerable to loss, and even hazardous in some circumstances. People dressed in casual clothes are often reluctant to carry eyewear cases, and many deem the cases a burden to keep track of. While eyewear cords are fully capable of retaining the eyewear when not in-use, many prefer not to use them for aesthetic reasons. In addition, chains and cords can present a strangulation hazard in some environments. The present disclosure addresses many concerns including those related to the visual aesthetics of the eyewear holder itself, and provides for an aesthetically pleasing eyewear holder that can appear as an ornamental feature blending in with, and even complementing, the persons attire.
The following is a tabulation of a variety of existing methods for securing items, such as eyewear, about oneself:
U.S. PatentsPat. No.Kind CodeIssue DatePatentee3,956,795AMay 18, 1976Kosakai4,157,166AJun. 5, 1979Voelker4,458,384AJul. 10, 1984Arnold4,771,515ASep. 20, 1988Guarro4,809,406AMar. 7, 1989Tsai4,894,887AJan. 23, 1990Ward, II4,949,432AAug. 21, 1990Wisniewski5,033,612AJul. 23, 1991Bibins5,078,484AJan. 7, 1992Vaughn5,319,838AJan. 14, 1994Eppenauer5,343,599ASep. 6, 1994Reeves5,551,126ASep. 3, 1996Wallo5,647,099AJul. 15, 1997Cohen5,699,140ADec. 16, 1997Fuhrman5,732,451AMar. 31, 1998Mars5,839,708ANov. 24, 1998Seach5,842,613ADec. 1, 1998White5,845,369ADec. 8, 1998Dunchock5,860,191AJan. 19, 1999Sieger5,864,924AFeb. 2, 1999Rodriguez5,941,487AAug. 24, 1999Keely5,956,812ASep. 28, 1999Moennig6,076,925AJun. 20, 2000Kraut6,135,409AOct. 24, 2000O'Keeffe6,168,273B1Jan. 2, 2001Dupraz et al.6,260,749B1Jul. 17, 2001Horovitz6,330,962B1Dec. 18, 2001Rodriguez6,367,126B1Apr. 9, 2002Rivkin6,533,414B2Mar. 18, 2003Newler6,539,587B2Apr. 1, 2003HarrisonD487344S1Mar. 9, 2004SiegerD533102S1Dec. 5, 2006Zoullas7,229,172B2Jun. 12, 2007Presswood, Jr et al..7,303,276B2Dec. 4, 2007Raymond7,487,574B2Feb. 10, 2009Lee-Holowka et al.7,496,991B2Mar. 3, 2009Avery7,503,101B2Mar. 17, 2009Sieger7,553,018B1Jun. 30, 2009Riazi7,562,977B1Jul. 21, 2009Heaton7,584,527B2Sep. 8, 2009Jones7,721,392B2May 25, 2010Avery7,850,302B1Dec. 14, 2010Riazi7,979,963B2Jul. 19, 2011Lee-Holowka et al.8,321,997B2Dec. 4, 2012Lee-Holowka et al.8,615,853B2Dec. 31, 2013Rathbun8,696,112B1Apr. 15, 2014Vaught8,739,368B2Jun. 3, 2014Murphy, Jr.8,752,743B2Jun. 17, 2014Nazarenko et al.
U.S. Patent Application PublicationsPat. No.Kind CodeIssue DatePatentee20020170147A1Nov. 21, 2002Heller20030131449A1Jul. 17, 2003McCormack20040200040A1Oct. 14, 2004Frassanito20040237262A1Dec. 2, 2004Arnone20050241115A1Nov. 3, 2005Aoullas20070062011A1Mar. 22, 2007Avery20080127460A1Jun. 5, 2008Severen et al.20080148528A1Jun. 26, 2008Jones20090007388A1Jan. 8, 2009Villeneuve20090019671A1Jan. 22, 2009Trullas20100107690A1May 6, 2010Purvis et al.20100263170A1Oct. 21, 2010Dollar, SR.20140237796A1Aug. 28, 2014Durocher20120118923A1May 17, 2012Allen20140022504A1Jan. 23, 2014Peterson20140043582A1Feb. 13, 2014Paydar20140237796A1Aug. 28, 2014Durocher20150234201A1Aug. 20, 2015Levesque
The patents and patent application publications in the tables above all describe retaining devices and systems that are lacking in the ability for the user to alter the visual aesthetics of the holder with commonly available ornamental nail bearing type indicia.
It is an object of this disclosure to provide a novel unanticipated retaining apparatus capable of securing eyewear and the like, adapted to be securely and removably attached to portions of garments and the like such as, for example, a shirt, coat, purse, backpack, baseball cap, or similar, and having the ability to removably and interchangeably attach and retain an ornamental nail bearing pendant type element such as a hatpin, lapel pin, trading pin, or the like thereto. A review of prior disclosures within the crowded eyewear retention art does not disclose nor fairly suggest, either alone or in combination with any other reference, the object of the disclosed invention herein. After submitting the Provisional Patent Application No. 62/297,847, product research and evaluation revealed many people, in and outside the eyewear retention field, deemed the disclosed magnetic multipurpose wearable retainer to be the most functional, innovative, and “coolest” retainer they have ever seen.